D'Amato G, Chatzigeorgiou G, Corsico R, Gioulekas D, Jäger L, Jäger S, Kontou‐Fili K, Kouridakis S, Liccardi G, Meriggi A, Palma‐Carlos A, Palma‐Carlos ML, Pagan Aleman A, Parmiani S, Puccinelli R Russo M, Spieksma FThM, Torricelli R, Wüthrich B. Evaluation of the prevalence of skin prick test positivity to Alternaria and Cladosporium in patients with suspected respiratory allergy. A European multicenter study promoted by the Subcommittee on Aerobiology and Environmental Aspects of Inhalant Allergens of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology.
This trial was undertaken to study, in several geographically spread European countries, the prevalence of skin prick test (SPT) positivity to Alternaria (A) and Cladosporium (C) in subjects with nasal and/or bronchial symptoms of suspected allergic cause. Each patient completed an anamnestic questionnaire and underwent SPT with a panel of common inhalant allergens and also A and C supplied by three different laboratories, to allow for manufacturer bias. Specific scrum IgE determination was carried out only in subjects with SPT positivity to A and/or C with an immunoassay system. In nine European allergology centers, a total of 877 subjects was enrolled in the trial; 83 of them showed SPT positivity to A and/or C; only nine patients showed monosensitization to A, and none to C The highest percentage of positive subjects was found in Spain (20%); the lowest in Portugal (3%). In the other seven centers, the variation was 7–10%. The age range of mold‐positive subjects was 5–60 years. Rhinitis was by far the most common symptom, whether associated or not with asthma and/or conjunctivitis.
A study of airborne Alternaria spores was carried out over the period from April 1992 to October 1993, in the Rehabilitation Medical Centre of Montescano (PV), using an automatic volumetric spore trap (VPPS 2000 Lanzoni). The evaluation of the air concentration of these spores is becoming ever more important as it is this mycophyte which is the commonest cause of a positive allergy test. In 1993 the concentration of AIternaria spores was much higher than in the previous year and the period of highest sporulation was different, depending on the different rainfall pattern of the 2 years.
10 patients with reversible bronchospasm received by the oral route in a double-blind fashion broxaterol, Z. 1170, 0.250 and 0.500 mg in comparison with salbutamol 4 mg as base and a placebo. Measurements of FEV1, heart rate and arterial pressure were performed before and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6 h after each treatment. Z. 1170 was followed by increases in FEV1 over the baseline and the placebo values that were significant up to the 4th hour with the 0.500 mg dose, up to the 2nd hour with the 0.250 mg dose. The difference between the effects of the two dose levels of Z. 1170 was significant, and the effect of the 0.500 mg dose was not significantly different from that of salbutamol 4 mg. The maximum increments in FEV1 following Z. 1170 averaged 15.8% for the 0.250 mg dose, 24.3% for 0.500 mg dose, and they were recorded at the 2nd hour. At this time point the mean increment in FEV1 following salbutamol was 18.0%. The maximum increments in FEV1, with salbutamol averaged 18.7% and were recorded at the 1st hour. At this time the mean increments for Z. 1170 0.250 and 0.500 mg were 13.8 and 20.0%, respectively. Heart rate and arterial pressure did not show any changes of clinical significance.
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